1. Field of the Invention
The preferred embodiments of the present invention relate, inter alia, to an electrode plate wrapping device for wrapping a positive electrode plate or a negative electrode plate with separators, and a method of wrapping an electrode plate with separators.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
In recent years, so-called stack type batteries have become widely used as various types of batteries, such as, e.g., batteries for automobiles, solar batteries, or batteries for electronics devices. Such a stack type battery is constituted by stacking a positive electrode plate, a separator, a negative electrode plate, and a separator alternately in this order.
For stacking a positive electrode plate, a separator, and a negative electrode plate, various stacking devices have been proposed. Among other things, a stacking device proposed by Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. H04-101366 (JP-A-H04-101366) is known. In this proposal, for example, negative electrode plates are conveyed by a first conveyer in an arranged manner, and positive electrode plates wrapped with separators are also conveyed with a second conveyer in an arranged manner. A swingable device stacks the negative electrode plate and the positive electrode plate wrapped with separators one on the other alternately on a third conveyer. In other words, in this proposal, one of the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate is wrapped with separators, and then the wrapped electrode plate and the electrode plate of a reverse polarity are stacked alternately.
In this case, since the electrode plates each wrapped with separators are required to be conveyed consecutively, the electrode plates are each required to be wrapped with separators consecutively. Such electrode plate wrapping devices are disclosed by, for example, Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. S56-102064 (hereinafter referred to as “JP-A-S56-102064”), Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. H10-106588 (hereinafter referred to as “JP-A-H10-106588”), Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. H10-275628 (hereinafter referred to as “JP-A-H10-275628”), and Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2009-9919 (hereinafter referred to as “JP-A-2009-9919”).
JP-A-S56-102064 and JP-A-H10-106588 disclose a device configured to weld both side edge portions of a two-folded separator in which a continuous electrode plate is arranged. JP-A-H10-275628 discloses a device configured to convey a continuous belt-like electrode plate in a generally horizontal manner while supplying a pair of separators onto both surfaces of the electrode plate to make the separators adhere to the surfaces of the electrode plate with a pair of rollers and then dry the electrode plate wrapped with separators. Further, JP-A-2009-9919 discloses a device configured to wrap a positive electrode plate or a negative electrode plate, each formed into a predetermined shape, with a pair of continuous separators.
In each proposal, however, a pair of continuous separators are adhered to both surfaces of an electrode plate and welded and then cut into a predetermined shape of a battery cell. This causes a problem that it takes a time to produce each electrode plate wrapped with separators, which in turn poses a problem in stacking electrodes at the later step. Thus, as a whole, the production efficiency of a battery cell was not good.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. Indeed, certain features of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages, while still retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.